Life-saving suit



Feb. 23 1926. 1,574,529-

s. ABRAHAM LIFE SAVING SUIT Filed April 25 1925 Patented Feb. 23, 1926..

sAMuEL ABRAHAM, oF NEW YORK, Nq.

LIFE-SAVING SUIT.

Application led April 25, 1925. Serial No. 25,920.

York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Life-Saving Suits, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to a protection device' for workmen.

It is an object of the presentinventiontov provide a device that will prevent the accidental falling of a workman'off a structure.

Itis another object to provide a device that will aid in keeping the workman inV an upright and balanced position in casev hc should accidentally fall, Aor if he voluntarily wishes to descend.

A further object ofthe invention is the provision of means for adjusting the protection deviceto the size of the wearer Other objects and advantages willv be apparent from the description to following takeny in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front view of a' pair of trousers Withthe present invention applied thereto, part of the trousers being removed in the interest of clearness.

Figure 2 is a detail view of a portion of the protection device detached from the trousers.

Figure 3 is a sectional Aview taken on the plane indicated by the line AA of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line B-B of Figure 2.

Referring to the views in detail, the numeral 10 indicates a pair of over-alls or trousers used by workmen. Secured to the front portion of the trousers 10 at the waistline, by any suitable means, is a metallic belt 11, having a wide central portion and gradually lgrowing narrower toward the ends as will be seen from Figure 1 This beltv 11 is concealed underneath the material of the garment and also by a pocket 12 formed of the same material as the trousers. (Fig. 3.) The ends of the belt terminate in buckles 13. Secured to the interior of the rear portion of the trousers 10 is a leather strap 14, having eyelets 15 at its ends for engagement with the buckles 13. Mounted on the wide central portion of the belt 11 by means of rivets, or in any other suitable manner,

is a lmetal casing 16. Formed on one side of the casing 16 is an ear 17, and formed on the opposite side thereof is a protruding arm 18. Integrally formed on the casing 16 at a point above the arm 18 is a breaking shoe member 19, said breaking shoe having a grooved face 2O of irregular outline, for a purpose which will be explained. Pivoted on the arm 18 is a lever 21 provided with a complementary breaking shoe member 22 having a grooved face similar in outline and form to the grooved face 20 of the breaking member 19 and with which it cooperates. A spring 22 with its free end vpressing out-- wardly against the lever 21 normally tends to keep' the breaking` members 19 and 22 i engagement with each other.

Secured tothe rear and front portions adjacent the top of the trousers by 4any suitable means are shoulder straps 23 which mayv be adjusted to the size of the wearer by means of the buckles carried thereby. Fastened to the strap 14 at the interior of the trousers 10 is oneend of an elongated strap 24. This strap 24 passes downwardly through narrow pockets or guide ways alon the interior of one side of the leg of the vtrousers and upwardly along the other side of said leg, and its other-end is adjustably secured to the buckle 25 mounted on the casing 16. As seen in Figure 1, thev strap 24 protrudes somewhat below thelowermostedge of the trouser leg and forms a loop 26 for supporting a foot of the wearer.

Fixed to the ear 17 is one end of a cable 27. As viewed in Figure 1, this cable 27 passes upwardly through an opening 28 in one of the shoulder straps 23 and around a pulley 29 suspended from a hook 30 which is mounted on the frame of the building not shown. The cable 27 passes downwardly through the openings 28 in the other of the shoulder straps 23 and between the breaking shoes 19 and 22, riding through the irregular grooved faces thereof and is wound on a drum 31 which is mounted rotatably on a shaft 32 passing through the center of the casing 16. Encircling the same shaft 32, with its coils in a direction opposite to the direction of the coils of the cable 27, is a spring 33, said spring being secured to the casing 16 at the point Iindicated at 34 and to the hub lof the drum 31 at the p oint indicated at 35 so that as the cable is unwound the spring 33 is wound up as will be understood.

In, operation, the wearer steps into the trouser-'s placing hisvfeet in the loops 26 and adjusts the trousers lengtlnvise by means oit the strap 2dand buckle 25. The straps 23 are then adjusted over the/shoulders'otthe wearer, and the strap 111 is adjustably secured to the buckles The straps 121, 23 and 14 cooperating with each other tend to keep the wearer in a balanced position in ease he should aeoidentally tall, or shouldv voluntarily wish to descend. Toperinit the wearer to walk abontduring the course of his work it is necessary to Perinitfthe Cable 27 to be paidout. Thisis accomplished by pressing the lever 21 against the :action of the spring thereby disengaging/the yfaces of the breaking shoes 19 and 22and releasing thelrgrip on the cableZT. "When pressure is removed from the lever Y21, the breaking shoes and22 automatically come together and hold ther-,able 27, .It will be understood that the strapsfl and 28 support the weight 'of the bodyland that the breaking` shoes 19 and QQ-are stoutlyfeonstrueted so that infease the wearer should fall, `the shoes will break the fall and the straps will holdthe wearer in an upright balanced,posit/ion.

Variations may be y,resorted to `within the scope of `the invention and portions of the improvements n iay be used withoutothers.

rThen the use'ol the device is Hnished, eable 27 niay be ,unhooked troni ear 17 l and the spring Awill then automatically wind the cable around the.dru1n 31. |Brake shoes 19 and will-naturally have to'be` releasedl Jreviousl v enerinw a ,.)ressure' on e b., t. D 1 th lever 21land1the sainev operation takes place every linie it is desired to shorten the released length 0i: :the cable. llt will also be obvious from inspecting the drawings that with a single element, that is the lever 21, the speedfofldeseent with my device can be regulated from l'ree drop to absolute stop and to'ahnost every speed in between.

l claim:

1. In a device of the Character described, in combination, a pair of trousers, an adjustable waist belt for said trousers,

adjustable straps disposed ,lengthwise vand sidewise of. said trousers, acasingseoured to said waist belt.; a reversible druininsaid easing, a eableattaehedto and adaptedto be coiled ,around saiddruln;,a,pair;of coniplenientary brake shoes normally engaging said cable to preventits unwinding ,fronithe drum, and means adapted torbe regulatedby the gperson descending insaidjdeviee to decrease or entirely release thepressureol .the brake shoes onrsaid cable.

,2. In a devieefoielaini 1, Said brake shoes and their regulating means. eo1nprsing,a stationary shoe secured .on the easing; .a pivotally,arranged vmov-able shoe; a spring normally urging said pivotedrshroe into engagement with said stationary. shoe, and means operable by fonehand of 'the user-,ot the device toeounteraetfsaid springandredueeitspressure on said pivotedbrake-shoe toany desired degree. j

'Signed at New York, VAin the county or New York, and State of New York, `,this 2nd day of Mareh,A. D. 1925.

SAMUEL ABRAHAM. 

